Tourniquets and Hemostatic

Tactical Combat Casualty Care

Tourniquets and Hemostatic Dressings

The Number OneMedical Priority for Initial Management of Trauma

Victims

Early control of severe hemorrhage is critical.– Prior to TCCC and effective battlefield

tourniquets, extremity hemorrhage was the most frequent cause of preventable battlefield deaths.

– Over 2500 deaths occurred in Vietnam secondary to hemorrhage from extremity wounds.

– Injury to a major vessel can quickly lead to shock and death.

– Only life-threatening bleeding warrants intervention during Care Under Fire.

When is bleeding life-threatening?

• There is pulsatile or steady bleeding from the wound.• Blood is pooling on the ground.• The overlying clothes are soaked with blood.• Bandages or makeshift bandages used to cover the

wound are ineffective and steadily becoming soaked with blood.

• There is a traumatic amputation of the arm or leg.• There was prior bleeding, and the patient is now in

shock (unconscious, confused, pale).

Question• How long does it take to bleed to death from a

complete femoral artery and vein disruption?• Answer:

– Casualties with such an injury can bleed to death in as little as 3 minutes

Care Under Fire

Where a tourniquet can be applied, it is the first choice for control of life-threatening hemorrhage in Care Under Fire.

A Preventable DeathDid not have an effective tourniquet applied -

bled to death from a leg wound

Tourniquet Application

• Apply without delay if indicated. • Both the casualty and the medic are in grave

danger while a tourniquet is being applied in this phase – don’t use tourniquets for wounds with only minor bleeding.

• The decision regarding the relative risk of further injury versus that of bleeding to death must be made by the person rendering care.


• Apply the tourniquet without removing clothing – make sure it is clearly proximal to the bleeding site.

• If you are uncertain about exactly where the major bleeding site is on the extremity (night operations, multiple wounds), apply the tourniquet “high and tight” (as proximal as possible) on the arm or leg.


• Tighten the tourniquet until bleeding is controlled.• If the first tourniquet fails to control the bleeding,

apply a second tourniquet just above (proximal to) the first.

• Don’t put a tourniquet directly over the knee or elbow.• Don’t put a tourniquet directly over a holster or a

cargo pocket that contains bulky items.

Instructions for One-Handed Application

GEN 7

Courtesy of North American Rescue

Combat Application Tourniquet

Step 1Insert the injured limb through the loop in the band and position tourniquet 2-3" above the bleeding site. If the most proximal bleeding site is not readily identifiable, place the tourniquet as high as possible on the limb.

Step 2

Pull band TIGHTLY and fasten it back on itself all the way around the limb, but not over the rod clips. Band should be tight enough that tips of three (3) fingers cannot be slid between the band and the limb. If the tips of three (3) fingers slide under band, retighten and re-secure.

Step 3Twist the rod until bleeding has stopped.

Step 4

Snap the rod inside a clip to lock it in place. Check for bleeding and distal pulse. If bleeding is not controlled, or distal pulse is present, consider more tightening or applying a second tourniquet above and side-by-side to the first. Reassess.

Step 5Route the band over the rod and between the clips. Secure with the grey securing strap. Record time of application.

Instructions for Two-Handed Application

GEN 7

Courtesy of North American Rescue

Combat Application Tourniquet

Step 1Route the band around the limb, pass the red tip through the slit of the buckle, and position tourniquet 2-3" above the bleeding site. If the most proximal bleeding site is not readily identifiable, place the tourniquet as high as possible on the limb.

Step 2Pull band TIGHTLY and fasten it back on itself all the way around the limb, but not over the rod clips. Band should be tight enough that tips of three (3) fingers cannot be slid between the band and the limb. If the tips of three (3) fingers slide under band, retighten and re-secure.

Step 3

Twist the rod until bleeding has stopped.

Step 4Snap the rod inside a clip to lock it in place. Check for bleeding and distal pulse. If bleeding is not controlled, or distal pulse is present, consider more tightening or applying a second tourniquet above and side-by-side to the first. Reassess.

Step 5Route the band over the rod and between the clips. Secure with the grey securing strap. Record time of application.

After a Tourniquet has been Applied

• After ANY tourniquet application, monitor the casualty closely to ensure that the tourniquet remains tight and that bleeding remains controlled.

• Reassess – reassess- reassess!

Other Tourniquets

• The SOF Tactical Tourniquet (SOFTT) by Tactical Medical Solutions, Inc.

• Equally recommended along with the C.A.T. by the CoTCCC for carriage by Combat Medics on the battlefield.

Photo courtesy TMS, Inc.

Other Tourniquets

Photo courtesy Wafflephile/Wikipedia

• Emergency and Military Tourniquet (EMT) by Delfi Medical Innovations, Inc.

• The EMT is and excellent tourniquet and is recommended by the CoTCCC for use in evacuation platforms and medical treatment facilities, but not for carriage by medics on the battlefield at this point.

Impact of Tourniquet UseKragh - Annals of Surgery 2009

• Ibn Sina Hospital, Baghdad, 2006 • Tourniquets are saving lives on the battlefield • Better survival when tourniquets were applied BEFORE casualties went into shock • 31 lives saved in this study by applying tourniquets prehospital rather than in the ED• Estimated 1000-2000 lives saved as of 2008 by tourniquets (data provided to Army Surgeon General via an internal communication)

Safety of Tourniquet UseKragh - Journal of Trauma 2008

• Combat Support Hospital in Baghdad• 232 patients with tourniquets on 309 limbs• CAT was best field tourniquet• No amputations caused by tourniquet use• Approximately 3% transient nerve palsies

Examples of Extremity Wounds That Do NOT Need a Tourniquet

Use a tourniquet ONLYfor severe bleeding!

Tourniquet Mistakesto Avoid!

• Not using one when you should• Using a tourniquet for minimal bleeding• Putting it on too proximally if the bleeding site is

clearly visible• Not taking it off when indicated during TFC• Taking it off when the casualty is in shock or has only

a short transport time to the hospital• Not making it tight enough – the tourniquet should

both stop the bleeding AND eliminate the distal pulse• Not using a second tourniquet if needed• Waiting too long to put the tourniquet on• Periodically loosening the tourniquet to allow blood

flow to the injured extremity

* These lessons learned have been written in blood. *

Tourniquet Pain

• Tourniquets HURT when applied effectively• Does not necessarily indicate a mistake in

application• Does not mean you should take it off!• Manage pain per TCCC Guidelines

Tourniquets:Points to Remember

• Damage to the arm or leg is rare if the tourniquet is left on for less than two hours.

• Tourniquets are often left in place for several hours during surgical procedures.

• In the face of massive extremity hemorrhage, it is better to accept the small risk of damage to the limb than to have a casualty bleed to death.


• Every effort should be made to convert tourniquets in less than 2 hours if bleeding can be controlled with other means. If bleeding remains controlled with Combat Gauze, leave the loosened tourniquet in place. If the bleeding is not controlled with Combat Gauze, re-tighten the tourniquet until bleeding stops.

• Restoring blood flow to the limb by transitioning to Combat Gauze at the 2-hour mark will minimize the chance of ischemic damage due to the tourniquet.

Tightening the tourniquet enough to eliminate the distal pulse will help to ensure that all bleeding is stopped, and that there will be no damage to the extremity from blood entering the extremity but not being able to get out.



Do not attempt to remove the tourniquet if:– The casualty is in shock.– You cannot closely monitor the wound for re-bleeding.– The extremity distal to the tourniquet has been traumatically

amputated.– The tourniquet has been on for more than 6 hours.– The casualty will arrive at a medical treatment facility within 2

hours after time of application.– Tactical or medical considerations make transition to other

hemorrhage control methods inadvisable.

• Only medics, physician assistants, or physicians should re-position or convert tourniquets.


Tourniquet Practical

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External Bleeding – Where you Can’t Use a Tourniquet

• Groin, axilla• Neck

Use a hemostatic dressing!

CoTCCC-Recommended Hemostatic Dressings

Combat Gauze Celox Gauze ChitoGauze

* Always apply with 3 minutes of firm direct pressure!

Combat Gauze When You Can’t Use a Tourniquet

Dr. Avi Shina et al Journal of Trauma 2015 38

“The 88.6% self-reported success rate in junctional hemorrhage control is encouraging, as junctional hemorrhage is increasingly looked at as the currently most common cause of preventable death in the battlefield.”

Slide – Mr.Mike Meoli

Combat Gauze

• Tested in the ISR safety model• Widely fielded in the DoD• Case series from the battlefield

and the civilian sector:– CG is effective at stopping

bleeding– No safety issues reported

• Recommended by CoTCCC as first choice for hemostatic dressing

• Open clothing around the wound.

• If possible, remove excess pooled blood from the wound while preserving any clots already formed in the wound.

• Locate the source of the most active bleeding.

Combat Medical Systems, LLC, Tel: 910-426-0003, Fax: 910-426-0009, Website: www.combatgauze.com

Combat Gauze Directions (1) Expose Wound & Identify Bleeding

• Pack Combat Gauze tightly into wound and directly onto the source of bleeding.

• More than one gauze may be required to stem blood flow.

• Combat Gauze may be re-packed or adjusted in the wound to ensure proper placement.


Combat Gauze Directions (2)Pack Wound Completely

• Quickly apply pressure until bleeding stops.

• Hold continuous pressure for 3 minutes.

• Reassess to ensure bleeding is controlled.

• Combat Gauze may be repacked or a second gauze used if initial application fails to provide hemostasis.

Combat Gauze Directions (3)Apply Direct Pressure


• Leave Combat Gauze in place.

• Wrap to effectively secure the dressing in the wound.


Combat Gauze Directions (4)Bandage over Combat Gauze

Although the Emergency Trauma Bandage is shown in this picture, the wound may be secured with any compression bandage, Ace wrap, roller gauze, or cravat.

• Do not remove the bandage or Combat Gauze.

• Reassess frequently to monitor for recurrent bleeding

• Transport casualty to next level of medical care as soon as possible.

Combat Gauze Directions (5)Transport & Monitor Casualty


Alternative Hemostatic Agents

• Celox Gauze• ChitoGauze

– May be used if Combat Gauze is not available– Active ingredient is chitosan, a mucoadhesive

• Function is independent of coagulation cascade• There are case series that report that chitosan

dressings have stopped bleeding in surgical patients with life-threatening bleeding and severe coagulopathy

• Does not cause reactions in persons allergic to shellfish

Alternative Hemostatic Agents

• Celox Gauze and ChitoGauze are as effective as Combat Gauze at hemorrhage control in laboratory studies:

• Neither ChitoGauze nor Celox Gauze have been tested in the USAISR safety model, but

• Chitosan-based hemostatic dressings have been used in combat since 2004 with no safety issues reported.

CoTCCC-Recommended Hemostatic Agents

• For more information:– Combat Gauze

• http://www.z-medica.com/military/Home.aspx– Celox Gauze

• http://www.celoxmedical.com/usa/products/celox-gauze/

– ChitoGauze• http://www.hemcon.com/Products/

ChitoGauzeHemostaticGauzeOverview.aspx

Thank You!

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Tourniquets and Hemostatic

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